Lettuce, Merlot

Merlot is intoxicating! It has the most beautiful dark red leaves with frilly edges. The way this lettuce stands out in the garden, it could be used as an ornamental if it didn't taste so good! The heads are very crisp and slightly open and stand upright to make this a wonderful salad lettuce at any age.

Lettuce: Almost synonymous with the backyard veggies garden, lettuce is a great addition to the garden beds. These low, leafy rosettes come in a couple different categories - like romaine, boston, buttercrunch, or oakleaf, - and hundreds of different varieties! They do their best in the spring and fall when the hot summer heat doesn’t tempt them to make flowers and develop a bitter flavor.

Growing Tips: Plant lettuce about 10 inches between heads (6 if they are a miniature variety) and keep them well watered. I like to put down a little straw mulch to help keep the soil moist. If they get very dry or very hot they may ‘bolt’ by trying to build a tall center stem with flowers. When they do they get more bitter so eat them quickly!